White House raises concerns about reports of Iran-Russia oil-for-goods swap

January 13, 2014|Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The White House said onMonday it was concerned about recent reports that Iran andRussia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billiona month, a deal that the White House said could potentiallytrigger U.S. sanctions.

"We are concerned about these reports and Secretary (ofState John) Kerry directly expressed this concern with ForeignMinister Lavrov today," Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for theWhite House National Security Council, told Reuters.

"If the reports are true, such a deal would raise seriousconcerns as it would be inconsistent with the terms of the P5+1agreement with Iran and could potentially trigger U.S.sanctions," Hayden said.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Mark Felsenthal and SteveHolland; Editing by James Dalgleish)